Construction equipment used to save elk stuck in trench in eastern Arizona
ALPINE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — It took the help of a “bobcat” to save an elk that was stuck in a trench in eastern Arizona. In a social media post Thursday, the Arizona Game and Fish Department said one of its wildlife managers had just completed a helicopter elk survey when she got a call from the Alpine Fire Department about a raghorn bull elk stuck in a 6-foot trench. She tried to dig the bull elk out when she arrived, but the four-legged friend wasn’t going anywhere. Time was a factor, too, since the elk was getting tired.
A homeowner nearby was using a bobcat or a skid-steer loader, and the AZGFD manager asked if she could use it. The owner brought it over, and the Game and Fish worker tied a quick release to the elk’s antlers and slowly pulled the animal out. Once the elk was out of the trench, he got his legs back under him and ran off unharmed once the knot was released. “I’m sure the bull will need a recovery day, but it won’t take him long to get back into the rut!” she said in the Facebook post.
Arizona Game and Fish thanked the manager and the homeowner for their help in freeing the elk.
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